Rasperry, Lychee, White Chocolate & Honey...

Cake? Torte? Layered extravaganza? Damn nice, that's what it was!

It's Christmas!

For the last few years instead of other gifts, I've been making little decorated Christmas cakes for my friends at Christmas.

I started a few weeks ahead, doing it in sessions, as a fair few hours can be whiled away...

Coloured cocoa butter

I've been interested in using this for quite some time. You see prettily coloured artisan chocolates, but for when we do decorated choccy cakes at school, I've wanted to have a go at achieving that characteristic glossy coloured sheen to see if it's applicable for decorations.

Dessert time!

Oh my gosh time has been flying by and I seem to have been consumed with eggs and bacon! But not your regular eggs made out of eggs and toast made out of bread kind...no...
I've been testing out a recipe from Darren Purchese's book, "Sweet Studio" (note: must visit the store next time I'm in Melbourne).

Ice cream!

Are you ready? This dessert is nearly too good to be true and too easy to believe!

It started off with a packet of cream that needed using up.

White chocolate crackles

These are the best white chocolate crackles....they actually crackle and pop and explode with flavour!

Berry goodness

My sister, Cec and I were making dessert for my niece, Anna's birthday, which comprised:

Apple roses

A while back, a post featuring these apple roses did the Facebook rounds and this week I decided to try them out.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

 They're apple slices rolled in puff pastry- a very pretty dessert and yummy with ice cream.

Upside-down quince cake

The humble quince...looks like a cross between a pear and an apple. And not nice to eat raw.

 

Photo by Sarah Ryan

But make up a nice vanilla bean sugar syrup and poach it for a few hours...and watch it change to a glorious jewel-like ruby pink-red colour.

 

                                    Photo by Sarah Ryan                                          Photo by Sarah Ryan
I was making an upside down cake so I sprinkled some brown sugar on the base and lined the tin with the sliced poached quince.

Decorated biscuits: using stencils

Two occasions: My great-niece's Georgina's 1st birthday party as well as Mother's Day....so some heart shaped biscuits were going to be fitting on both accounts.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

I usually use gingerbread biscuits for decorating as they keep really well, but this time I used a vanilla shortbread (they'd be eaten pretty quickly and the kids would like vanilla biscuits better, I reasoned...)

Naked cakes

Naked cakes seem to be a bit of a trend, so I was keen to try out the method. Basicly, it's a style of icing a more formal or party cake, where the layers are still visible and no outer covering of frosting or icing is applied. Often fresh flowers are used for decoration.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

I decided I'd try it out so made two nice butter cakes.

A sweet brekky bite

Now I'm not a food critic, but so far my ratio here is a bit down on the food side, so a food-related post seemed in order.
What I like about Hobart bites at the moment is nicely described by Oonagh from Little Missy Patisserie when she said how she loves how the local bakeries/patisseries are showcasing their own specialities and uniqueness. Which I think hits the nail on the head.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

After a very lean day yesterday, I balanced it out by dropping in for a breakfast treat at Small Fry.

The doughnuts here have become a niche sweet treat, handmade each day with varying flavours. I chose Tiramisu, which had an espresso icing and a creamy mascarpone filling. Need I say it was delicous? It was.

There was also Apple Crumble (which I've had before - yum) and a Very Berry which was also very tempting. 

And I should add that following that, my other meals today will be laden with vegetables and chia seeds and natural yogurt and all good things like that! (Well, that's the plan...)